Thanks everyone for a fantastic Woods Hole Trad Stroll! We’ll be back again next year! In the meantime, we’ll post videos and photos of the 2023 event here soon.
ArtsFalmouth will hold Woods Hole Trad Stroll 2023 on Saturday, May 13, in Woods Hole Community Hall and the shops, businesses, and open spaces of Woods Hole. Performances are 12 Noon to 6 PM! All events are free and open to the public.
Be sure to visit the Artisans Market from 10 AM to 6 PM at the Old Fire House at 72 Water Street.
Come and spend the day!
ArtsFalmouth gratefully acknowledges the Mass Cultural Council, the Arts Foundation of Massachusetts, the Woods Hole Foundation, and the Cape Cod Melody Tent for their financial support of this and other ArtsFalmouth events, as well as the Falmouth Art Center, Falmouth Community Television, and the Enterprise newspapers for their in-kind contributions, as well as the many volunteers that make our events possible.
Woods Hole Community Hall
68 Water Street, Woods Hole
12 Noon: Ganivelle
Ganivelle plays lively traditional French dance music from Brittany, Haute Savoie, and the Auvergne, on fiddle, mandolin, crumhorn, cornamuse, recorders, bagpipe, hurdy gurdy, accordion, and concertina. Their name, Ganivelle, is taken from one of their favorite tunes. A ganivelle is a traditional wooden fence, used to keep the sand of the coastal dunes from shifting. It is the same kind of fence seen on beaches all around Cape Cod.
Members of Ganivelle include Ron Geering on hurdy gurdy and accordion, David Leslie on fiddle, Hannah Mark on fiddle and mandolin, Jack Cook on mandolin, Barbara Blair on bagpipe, fiddle, recorder, and pennywhistle, Jan Elliott on concertina, recorder, crumhorn, and cornamuse, and Lisa Esperson on percussion, accordion, and bass ukulele.
1 PM: Rare Ould Times Irish Band
Kevin McGeough, Jack Dolan, & Amy Larkin bring the lively conviviality and merriment of an evening at an Irish pub to Woods Hole, playing traditional and contemporary Irish pub favorites, including well-loved ballads, rousing rebel songs, sea shanties, lively tunes, and more.
Kevin, or “Irish Kevin” as he is known throughout Cape Cod, is a native of County Armagh in Ulster. He sings and plays guitar, mandolin, and bodhrán. An accomplished vocalist, Jack plays bodhrán with the band. Amy plays Irish fiddle and has a vast repertoire of tunes; she has been playing at contradances throughout the US for years.
2 PM: Sonnay Fiddlers
Led by their teacher, Nikki Engstrom, the Sonnay Fiddlers, ages 5 and up, perform a large repertoire of Celtic tunes. Sonnay stands for Students of Nikki, Not All Young, a nod to the adults in the group. Engstrom, a member of the Celtic duo Stanley and Grimm, has performed, competed, and taught throughout New England and Canada.
3 PM: Falmouth Fiddlers
The Falmouth Fiddlers play bluegrass, old-time, Celtic, country, and folk music on fiddle, mandolin, guitar, cello, string bass, banjo, Irish whistle, and more. They love to play music with others and to promote acoustic music. All are welcome to join.
4 to 6 PM: Contra/Square Dance with the Woods Hole Folk Orchestra
Join the Woods Hole Folk Orchestra for the return of New England-style contra and square dancing to Woods Hole Community Hall. Dance leader and teacher Chris Ricciotti, an experienced caller for the past twenty-plus years in the greater New England region, brings his skills to this community dance.
Woods Hole Folk Orchestra musicians are John Alden, Ellie Armstrong, Rich Armstrong, Richard Gregory-Allen, Tom Hodgson, Jim Mavor Jr., and Victor Troll.
Experience in contradancing is not required; all ages are welcome, though children 10 and under are asked to bring an adult or two with them. Vaccinations are recommended; masks are optional.
Martha’s Vineyard Bank, 2 Water Street
12 Noon: Jay Michaels, The Harper of the Harper and the Minstrel
Jay Michaels presents a concert of Early Music featuring historical harps, viola da gamba and Baroque guitar. He will play medieval cantigas, Renaissance love songs, and more by composers such as Dowland, O’Carolan, and Vivaldi.
Pie in the Sky Bakery & Cafe, 10 Water Street
1 PM: Black Whydah
Black Whydah is Jean Sagara, Cathy Hatch, and John Best, a vocal and instrumental group offering three part harmonies drawn from a mix of Irish, old-time, bluegrass, folk and original compositions. Band members play fiddles, guitars, cittern, mandolin, banjo, ukuleles, and other amazing things with strings. They are known for their lively and entertaining concerts with something for everyone.
Coffee Obsession, Front Porch, 38 Water Street
2 to 4 PM: Cat’s Melodeon
Cat’s Melodeon is an Irish multi-instrumental group led by Bill Black, who was the one who suggested, back in 2014, that ArtsFalmouth host a traditional music event. He has performed at every Trad Stroll since then. Cat’s Melodeon specializes in authentic Irish traditional music–the “pure drop” as it’s known in Ireland and includes guitars, pipes, banjo, flute, and fiddles.
Woods Hole Historical Museum, Small Boat Museum, 579 Woods Hole Road
3 PM: Morgan Rattler
Morgan Rattler offers music and song from the Golden Age of Piracy—the 17th through the 20th century—traditional American, Irish, Scottish, English, and French seafaring music. The group includes Jacek Sulanowski on vocals and bodhrán, Barbara Blair on fiddle and whistles, and Ron Geering on hurdy-gurdy, concertina, and melodeon.
Woods Hole Market & Provisions, Upper Level Waterfront Deck, 87 Water Street
4 PM: The Rum-Soaked Crooks
The Rum-Soaked Crooks are Tom Goux, Jacek Sulanowski, and Dan Lanier. They offer a pungent mix of sailors’ chanteys, ballads, and ditties. Their repertoire spans three centuries of seafaring songs and poetry, featuring an exceptional sampling of Cape and Islands sea songs and poetry. They have performed across the country and in Europe and have recorded on the Smithsonian-Folkways and Whaling City Sound labels.
PARKING
Event Parking is provided by WHOI and Marine Biological Laboratory on the day of the event. Attendees may use the WHOI Shiverick Lot at 11 School St, the WHOI School St Lot at 49 School St, and the WHOI Dyer’s Dock Lot (Water St. by drawbridge), as well as the Cornelia Clapp Auditorium Lot at 7 Mbl St. See posted Event Parking signs.